Across Maine’s public universities, more than 2,900 faculty, professional staff, and student workers are fully or partially funded through federal sources, and many of us regularly interface with federal employees and services.

With a federal shutdown now underway, the University of Maine System is regularly communicating directly with our employees and students. Additionally, we are providing relevant updates about the shutdown and resources on this webpage, including from federal agencies, Cornerstone Government Affairs (which provides federal government relations services for our entire System and is based in Washington, D.C.), and various professional associations of which our universities/employees are members. 

All UMS employees — including those supported by federal dollars — should continue reporting to work unless you have heard otherwise from your supervisor. System and university leaders are continuing to carefully analyze agency contingency plans and potential impacts to UMS employees and activities by federal funding source and will communicate any necessary changes to supervisors. If your work or schedule is affected, your supervisor will notify you directly. 

We encourage you to visit this page frequently for the most current information about the federal shutdown’s impact on our operations and to reach out to your supervisor or appropriate System or university administrators if you have questions that have not yet been adequately addressed. 

Latest Updates

On Oct. 21, the U.S. Department of Agriculture notified Maine and other states that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will not be available starting in November if the federal government shutdown continues. In response, the University of Maine System has compiled the following information on food assistance resources available to members of our campus communities:

University of Maine System: Our System partners with Sodexo to provide food service at all UMS universities. Through the UMS/Sodexo Swipe Out Hunger program, unused meal “swipes” are made available to our students who are food insecure. Information about accessing free meals in UMS university dining halls through this swipe program is as follows:

In addition to the Swipe Out Hunger program, the following university-specific resources are available:

University of Maine: Black Bear Exchange is an on-campus food pantry located at 139 Rangeley Rd. in Orono that is available to UMaine students and employees with an active Maine Card. More information and the pantry hours are available online here or by contacting Lisa at lisa.morin@maine.edu or 207-581-4194. A clothing closet is also available. 

Additionally, UMaine has limited emergency funds available for students. For more information, please contact Andrea at 207-581-4031.  

University of Maine at Augusta: UMA maintains an on-campus food pantry available to all UMS students and employees on its Augusta campus and in Lewiston Hall on its Bangor campus. To learn more about the Augusta campus food pantry, please contact Rose at 207-621-3442. More information and the Bangor pantry hours are available online here or by contacting Joy at joy.steward@maine.edu. UMA students can also access food pantry items in the Hallowell residence hall and at the UMA Capital Center in the Augusta Marketplace. A professional clothing closet is also available. 

Additionally, UMA has limited emergency funds available for students. Please click this link for more information or contact Crystal at 207-621-3310. 

University of Maine at Farmington: UMF maintains an on-campus food pantry (the Thrifty Beaver) in the Fusion Building that is available for its residential and commuter students. More information and the pantry hours are available online here or by contacting Kristen at kswan@maine.edu. Clothing and hygiene products are also available at the pantry. 

Additionally, UMF has limited emergency funds available for students. For more information, please contact Jennifer at jferr@maine.edu.

University of Maine at Fort Kent: UMFK maintains two on-campus food pantries available to any student or employee that provide snacks, pantry staples, and frozen and ready-to-eat meals. For more information, contact Tim at 207-834-7562. A clothing closet is also available. 

University of Maine at Machias: UMaine Machias has opened a food pantry in the Student Success Center on the second floor of Torrey Hall. Open during regular building hours, the pantry offers non-perishable food items and common toiletries for any UMaine Machias student to access as needed. The initiative was made possible through generous funding from the University Credit Union (UCU) and will be maintained by the Office of Student Life. More information is available here. 

University of Maine at Presque Isle: UMPI has multiple food pantries across campus available to any of its students or employees, including in Folson-Pullen, Emerson Hall, Park Hall, Merriman Hall, and the Campus Center. Additionally, UMPI has limited emergency funds available to students. More information is available online here or by contacting Sarah at sarah.coyer@maine.edu. 

University of Southern Maine: USM maintains the Oakhurst Food Pantry at 102 Bedford St. on its Portland campus, available to USM students and employees, as well as to Maine Law, Unity, and SMCC students housed in its residence halls in Gorham and Portland. More information is available online here or by contacting campusfoodpantry@maine.edu.

Additionally, USM has limited emergency funds available for students. For more information, please contact 207-780-5250.

University of Maine School of Law: Maine Law maintains a small food supply for its students and also has limited emergency funds available. Please contact Camrin at camrin.rivera@maine.edu. A professional clothing closet is also available. Maine Law students who live in the USM Portland residence hall may access the Oakhurst Food Pantry (please see above). 

As we enter the third week of a shutdown of the federal government due to a lapse in appropriations, the Chancellor of the University of Maine System (UMS) and the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation continue to convene a daily meeting with System and university leaders to share relevant information and plan for potential impacts on UMS employees and activities. 

So far, Maine’s public universities have received one stop-work order directly from a federal agency, as the approved award activity required regular interaction and oversight from federal employees who had been furloughed. Additionally, several organizations that receive federal funding that is then re-granted to UMS have recommended the university either stop work or continue work with the possibility that activities undertaken during the shutdown may not be reimbursed. In collaboration with Principal Investigators, the UMS Grant Review Task Force is evaluating the impact of temporarily ceasing those specific activities, including to regular and student employees and the public, and will proceed accordingly. 

Consistent with past UMS guidance, in the event of a stop-work order, please immediately notify your university’s office of sponsored programs and UMaine’s Director of the Office of Research Administration Chris Boynton (christopher.boynton@maine.edu).

The System is also aware of media coverage that suggests multiple federal agencies have begun initiating mass permanent layoffs of federal employees, known as a Reduction in Force (RIF). As this information is verified and we better understand how these layoffs may impact the administration of UMS grants and contracts, we will share this information with you. Please confer with Chris Boynton if you have a grant that requires regular and ongoing oversight or interaction with federal program staff while the shutdown continues. 

The System continues to receive regular updates from Cornerstone, our UMS federal relations partner, as well as members of our Congressional delegation and their teams, and will share any relevant information here.

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) maintains a live operating status for all federal agencies in Washington, D.C. here.

Hours before a potential lapse in federal appropriations, Chancellor Dannel Malloy sent a System-wide message to update employees on the ongoing planning for a government shutdown. In the message, the Chancellor reinforced that all UMS employees (including student workers) — even those supported by federal dollars — should continue reporting to work, regardless of a federal shutdown, unless they have heard otherwise from your supervisor. That guidance is based on the System’s careful review of the contingency plans from multiple agencies, which state that current grantees will generally be able to continue with allowable activities during a potential shutdown, although payments may be delayed until the federal government reopens due to a lack of personnel to administer payment systems.

Chancellor Dannel Malloy has sent a System-wide message detailing the preparations being undertaken within UMS to prepare for a possible federal government shutdown at midnight on Sept. 30, 2025. “Across Maine’s public universities, more than 2,900 faculty, professional staff, and student workers are fully or partially funded through federal sources, and many of us regularly interface with federal employees and services,” the Chancellor’s message noted. “While there is considerable uncertainty, including whether a shutdown will even occur, we want you to know that System and university leaders are actively preparing (as we have done for prior possible shutdowns) so that we can mitigate impacts to the extent practicable if there is a lapse in federal appropriations.”

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has issued guidance to federal agencies related to a potential shutdown in the event of a lapse of appropriations on Sept. 30, 2025.  Notably, the guidance encourages federal agencies, “to use this opportunity to consider Reduction in Force (RIF) notices for all employees in programs, projects, or activities (PPAs) that satisfy all three of the following conditions: (1) discretionary funding lapses on October 1, 2025; (2) another source of funding, such as H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21) is not currently available; and (3) the PPA is not consistent with the President’s priorities.” The guidance goes on to note “RIF notices will be in addition to any furlough notices provided due to the lapse in appropriation.” 

The Antideficiency Act prohibits federal agencies from obligating any money without an appropriation from Congress (except under limited circumstances discussed below). Any period of time when appropriations are not enacted into law, either through regular appropriations bills or a continuing resolution (CR), is known as a “funding gap.” (A CR is a short-term funding bill that keeps the government operating at current spending levels when Congress has not enacted regular appropriations bills for the fiscal year.) When the funding gap is very short — a day or so — the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) usually gives agencies a grace period during which they can continue operating, especially if passage of the bills or a CR seems imminent. Otherwise, the gap results in a shutdown.

Shutdowns sometimes begin on October 1, the first day of a new fiscal year. But they can also occur later in the fiscal year, after a CR expires. A full shutdown occurs during an extended funding gap for the entire government; a partial shutdown occurs when Congress has enacted some but not all federal appropriations. (Answer provided by Cornerstone on Sept. 26, 2025.)

The most recent partial government shutdown began on December 21, 2018, and lasted 35 days, until January 25, 2019. In that case, Congress had enacted 5 of the 12 appropriations bills but failed to enact or pass a short-term CR for the 7 others. The most recent full shutdown began on October 1, 2013, and lasted 16 days. (Answer provided by Cornerstone on Sept. 26, 2025.)

The laws that govern shutdowns have remained relatively constant in recent decades; however, each administration may exercise some discretion in how they interpret the laws. For example, national parks were closed in the 2013 shutdown; many remained open in the 2018-2019 shutdown. (Answer provided by Cornerstone on Sept. 26, 2025.)

According to a contingency plan released on Sept. 28, 2025 by the U.S. Department of Education, “The Department will continue to disburse student aid such as Pell Grants and Federal Direct Student loans, and student loan borrowers will still be required to make payments on their outstanding student debt.” The plan goes on to state, “As available, permanent and multi-year appropriations will be used to continue some key operations (such as processing Free Applications for Federal Student Aid, (FAFSA ®); disbursing Pell Grants and Direct Loans; and servicing Federal student loans).” In the event of a federal shutdown, UMS will share additional information and guidance related to other federal student services and support as it becomes available. (Answer updated Sept. 29, 2025.)

All UMS employees (including student workers), even those supported by federal dollars, should continue reporting to work, regardless of a federal shutdown, unless you have heard otherwise from your supervisor. System and university leaders are continuing to carefully analyze agency contingency plans and potential impacts to UMS employees and activities by federal funding source and will communicate any necessary changes to supervisors. If your work or schedule is affected, your supervisor will directly notify you. 

In the event of a stop-work order from a federal agency, please immediately notify your university’s office of sponsored programs and UMaine’s Director of the Office of Research Administration Chris Boynton (christopher.boynton@maine.edu). In the event that a stop-work order or other federal directive necessitates an employment action, UMS Human Resources will engage our union partners and the Maine Department of Labor to coordinate supportive resources and assist with the transition for affected employees. (Answer updated Sept. 30, 2025.)

As a public institution, we generally cannot internally fund positions previously supported by the federal government (i.e., backstop), even temporarily. However, we are developing contingency plans that consider our workforce and activities, as existing financial resources allow and in a manner consistent with the expectations of relevant UMS collective bargaining agreements and forthcoming federal guidance and directives. You can expect to hear directly from the appropriate supervisor at your university if you need to take any action or make changes in your activities. (Answer provided Sept. 26, 2025.)

While we don’t yet know what functions would and would not continue at each federal agency in the event of a lapse in annual funding from Congress, during past government shutdowns, the majority of federal employees were not allowed to work, including checking and responding to emails and calls, participating in meetings, reviewing proposals, processing payments, and maintaining government-run public resources, such as websites — although some grant submission portals remained active and some drawdowns/payments that did not require federal personnel continued. We will update this information as more guidance becomes available. (Answer provided Sept. 26, 2025.)

While our System has experience navigating past lapses in federal appropriations — notably the 35-day partial shutdown in 2018-19 — there remains uncertainty about how the current Presidential Administration might implement this process and how long a potential shutdown could last. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed federal agencies to consider undertaking a permanent reduction in their workforce, beyond the federal employees who would be furloughed effective Oct. 1 if there is a lapse in appropriations. Federal agencies are required to regularly update and make their contingency plans publicly available, detailing which functions would and would not continue in the event of a lapse in funding. The plans that have been made publicly available can be found on this webpage under “Helpful Resources.” (Answer updated Sept. 30, 2025.)

Researchers whose lab houses live animals (e.g. zebrafish at UMaine) must have a contingency plan to ensure that animals are cared for daily as detailed in their approved Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocols. If a funding gap for animal caretakers is anticipated, researchers should discuss this with their leadership to review and update contingency plans. Additionally, questions can be addressed to the UMaine Office of Research Compliance (umric@maine.edu). (Answer provided on Sept. 29, 2025.)

At this time, there are no plans to close UMaine Cooperative Extension statewide offices and employees should continue reporting to work, unless they have heard otherwise from their supervisor. Late Tuesday, Sept. 30, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which provides significant funding for Extension, posted its contingency plan. (Answer updated Sept. 30, 2025.)

If you must communicate with external stakeholders because of an impact to federally funded programming (e.g. event cancellation, delay in service, etc.), please contact UMS Chief External & Governmental Affairs Officer Sam Warren (samantha.warren@maine.edu) who can assist you in preparing external communications. (Answer provided Sept. 26, 2025.)

Please refer the public to the System’s public webpage regarding our planning for a potential lapse in federal appropriations, which can be found at maine.edu/federal-shutdown-planning. (Answer provided Sept. 26, 2025.)

  • In the event of a stop-work order from a federal agency, please immediately notify your university’s office of sponsored programs and University of Maine Director of the Office of Research Administration Chris Boynton (christopher.boynton@maine.edu).
  • UMaine Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Resources, and Engagement Jake Ward (jsward@maine.edu) and UMaine Senior Advisor to the President and Director of Research Development Jason Charland (jason.charland@maine.edu) are available to work with Maine’s Congressional Delegation and our DC-based federal relations firm, Cornerstone, to seek answers to time-sensitive inquiries.
  • If you receive a media inquiry related to federal impacts, please immediately forward it to UMS Chief External & Governmental Affairs Officer Sam Warren (samantha.warren@maine.edu), who will respond on behalf of the university in coordination with relevant stakeholders.